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The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters supported an evening of giving and education on the effects of heart health in the construction industry. The IKORCC was the presenting sponsor at the American Heart Association Hard Hats with Heart networking event. We value this partnership because our members face many of the health risks related to cardiovascular diseases on a daily basis. May it be the level of stress they face on a jobsite or the lack of healthy eating options in the surrounding areas, they are all risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. As we move forward in our efforts to keep our members heart healthy, we will be implementing a wellness program that will focus on how to live a healthier life. We will educate members on many topics such as how to maintain blood suagr levels, eating better and reducing blood pressure, to maintaining a healthy weight and stop smoking.

The American Heart Association launched Hard Hats with Heart two years ago in order to focus on heart health within the construction industry. According to the American Heart Association, direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular diseases and stroke total more than $316.6 billion. That includes health expenditures and lost productivity. In order to improve the overall heart health of our membership we must educate ourselves on the risks we may face in our day-to-day activities. The risk factors for construction workers vary from smoking, the lack of a well-rounded diet and high blood pressure, to diabetes and high cholesterol. The widespread presence of heart disease in construction is slightly higher than all other industries. This research comes as a surprise because on average construction workers tend to be younger and they experience physical demands daily. We are flooded with statistics of the risks factors we face as workers in the construction industry. As we are educated on these risks, it is our job to make a change in our own lives so we won't become another statistic.

Hard Hats with Heart is here to provide companies in the construction-related field with free resources and tools that can help improve the health of their employees. We are working as a team to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. We look forward to the many lives that will be changed because of the education and resources they will acquire through Hard Hats with Heart.

Nicholas & Olivia - they're just two of the reasons Indianapolis carpenters volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House of Indianapolis last week. Carpenters helped patients and families take a much-needed break from the hospital to build keepsake toolboxes. It's a simple thing that makes a big difference to families.

The Indianapolis event is one of many "Carpenters Caring for Kids" events at area Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio Ronald McDonald Houses. It's just one of the ways our carpenters, millwrights andfloorcoverers are building their communities.

10-year old Nicholas and his mom traveled all the way from Chicago to Riley Hospital for an appointment with his neurologist. His mom is excited about the recent progress he's made in learning to walk, the neurologist in Indianapolis really helped with that. With her other children hours away and a limited income, the ability to stay at the Indianapolis Ronald McDonald House is crucial to Nicholas' continued progression. There she can stay for free, have a nice meal with her son and on days when the carpenters are around, she gets to see Nicholas smile while doing something he loves.

Watch the video below to see just how much this event meant to her and other families staying at the Indianapolis Ronald McDonald House.

It’s a perfect time for students, to learn more about the high paying careers in skilled trades, an area that is experiencing a nationwide shortage of skilled craftsman. The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters is proud to introduce Union Trades into the Chase JA Finance Park.

The Chase JA Finance Park will be a sight to see and you won’t want to miss it! The walls of the space are designed to take students through the stages of being a Union Tradesman. As you make your way through the space you’ll see descriptions of milestones, salaries, great benefits and the opportunities for growth. We are thrilled to be part of the Junior Achievement Center of Kentuckiana.

Chase JA Finance Park sets the scene for middle and high school students to live a day in the life of an adult with a career, job, family, and a background that creates their lifestyle. Based on many factors the students create and use their personal budget while in JA Finance Park. Students will be assigned a job working for the IKORCC and will learn to live life as a Union Carpenter.

The IKORCC represents more than 32,000 professional tradespeople in 33 locals in Indiana, Kentucky, and parts of West Virginia and Tennessee. A proud affiliate of the

The IKORCC has proudly partnered with local schools in the area to provide Career Connections Curriculum for the building trades instructors. The provided Career Connections material will prepare their students for their future Apprenticeship Program with the IKORCC. The new partnership with the Junior Achievement Center represents the dedication the IKORCC has to building a strong community.

The Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) has a deep history of building our communities in more ways than one. This week the IKORCC partnered with the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland and RGI to build toolboxes and dreams through a program called Carpenters Caring for Kids. Carpenters Caring for Kids visits local Ronald McDonald houses with the goal of brightening each child’s day through hands-on building activities.

With the help of volunteers, kids at the Ronald McDonald house put together and colored toolboxes where they can store toys, trinkets, and hope - a crucial tool in battling whatever ails them. For many of these families, events like this are some of the only cheerful moments they get to share with each other. Siblings were seen helping one another and bonding during this time of rare escape.

The room was never void of smiles from parents, volunteers and most importantly, the kids. As soon as families walked into the room they let go of the rest of the day and just had a great time. We celebrated each completed toolbox with a certificate, picture, hearty laughter and a cookie donated by Gatherings Kitchen of Lakewood, Ohio. It was a sweet ending to a very special evening.

In early October 2018, the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) was a Platinum Sponsor at the AIA Ohio Convention in Toledo, Ohio. AIA Ohio is part of the elite society of the American Institute of Architects. The society shares similar concentrations to the IKORCC. Both organizations are working to produce positive legislative and governmental development in licensing requirements and construction appropriations.

IKORCC’s very own, Jay Patz, Instructor from Northwest Indiana, spoke in a breakout session highlighting ICRA patient safety in facilities. Jay shared astonishing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control regarding hospital associated infections. Those statistics included information about patients who survived infection to those infections that led to death. Within the scope of those statistics, 5,000 of patients lost their lives due to a construction related hospital associated infection.

It is IKORCC’s goal to open the line of communication for pre-planning opportunities. Jay showed that this level of communication will allow for patient safety to be the number one priority, and increase the effectiveness of the architect and workers on the jobsite.

Keynote Speaker, Coren Sharples, founding partner of SHoP Architects, wowed her audience with new unconventional ways to approach design. Her designs focus on the beautifully practical. The future holds learning opportunities for IKORCC apprentices and the Council at large. The convention was capped with many educational avenues with which the Council can engage.

Over 3,000 high school students visited our booth at the Kentucky Construction Career Days (K4C) in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Many of the students are high school seniors interested in a career in the trades.

IKORCC apprentices & instructors were on-site to share all the great opportunities available in the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.

Indiana Carpenters & Floorcoverers are sparking careers in skilled trades at the Junior Achievement Job Spark event in Indianapolis. Over 4,000 students visited the event where they learned about various career paths, including those in building trades.

The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters booth was full of interested students all day. Students took part in a floorcovering challenge & at the end of the day, we named the challenge winner. Groups received blueprints and 24 carpet squares, with the goal of being the fastest, most accurate group.

Nearly 500 sisters from across the U.S. and Canada met at the International Training Center in Las Vegas for the Sisters in the Brotherhood Conference last month.

Sisters from the IKORCC were able to have their questions answered by General President Douglas McCarron - a rare opportunity our sisters took advantage of. They also heard from renowned guest speakers, attended workshops, traded ideas and most importantly learned how they could help grow the sisterhood.

A month later, our sisters are actively applying what they learned on job sites, at local meetings and in their everyday life to grow the sisterhood. See what they learned and how they are applying it below or by clicking here.

The lack of a student loan debt after graduating and the ability to earn while you learn has become increasingly attractive to graduating students. The IKORCC is using this opportunity to provide students with a wealth of knowledge on how to start their career in the trades with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Last week, approximately 1,600 students from Western Kentucky attended the seventh annual Construction Career Day at Murray State University Cherry Expo Center. The students were able to experience interactive displays such as welding and masonry work. The variety of hands-on activities represented multiple career paths.

The IKORCC was r​epresented by Will Stewart, Business Representative based out of Local 357, and Sidney Nelson, Instructor based out of the Newburgh training facility. The students received instruction on the use of HILTI battery-operated screw-guns as well as information on the apprenticeship and the benefits of a career with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.

This week, Indiana and Kentucky Instructors and on-the-job trainers had the opportunity to participate in a rigorous training for the latest Trimble Robotic Total Station. The Trimble Robotic Total Station is key to performing layout tasks more efficiently than with conventional mechanical systems. This training prepares our students and instructors alike to evolve with technological instruments that are leading the way in the Carpentry industry.

Director of Training for Indiana and Ohio, Jerry Burke says, “The Trimble training has given our Instructors the knowledge and resources to not only show our members how to perform Building Construction Layout and Data Collection in the most productive and efficient way, but will show increased value of our IKORCC workforce as the most innovative skilled craftsman.”

The training included an informational classroom lecture and hands-on learning with assistance from Trimble certified instructors. During the hands-on learning, instructors were able to conveniently set up the Trimble and perform positioning around the training center. The Trimble will allow for positioning up to 300 meters (9,843 feet) away with the prism pole. The new instrument can also be set-up and performed efficiently by one user. This will be the first hands-on robotic instrument in the training center for instructors and students to use. Ari Perez, an instructor out of the Indianapolis, IN Training Center said, “As instructors we feel that it is our duty to keep pace with the technological advancements of our industries.” We look forward to the many opportunities the new training will provide for our members.

For more information on Trimble Robotic Total Station Training, contact a Training Center near you.